English Settlements in Colonial America

The Colonial Period

Why Did the English Settle in North America?

  1. To establish a source of commercial gain.
  2. To discover a Northwest Passage to the Orient.
  3. To limit Spanish expansion.
  4. To seek religious freedom.
  5. The lower and middle classes sought increased economic opportunity (finding free or inexpensive land).

How did the English establish settlements? Although the English were anxious to duplicate the Spanish and Portuguese successes, and they had a theoretical claim to North America (John Cabot’s voyage

Read More

Mastering the Writing Process: Steps, Paragraphs, and Peer Editing

The Six Steps of the Writing Process

Pre-writing

Before you begin writing, decide what you are going to write about. This plan is called pre-writing.

Step One: Choose a Topic

Before you write, your teacher gives you a specific assignment or some ideas.

Step Two: Gather Ideas

When you have a topic, think about what you will write about.

Step Three: Organize

Decide which of the ideas you want to use and where you want to use them.

Drafting

Step Four: Write

Write your paragraph or essay from start to finish.

Read More

Writing Effective Biographies, Opinion Essays, News, and Descriptions

Biography

A biography tells the story of another person’s life. It gives important information about the person’s childhood and career.

Structure

  • Paragraph 1: Introduction and early life
  • Paragraph 2: Main events
  • Paragraph 3: Conclusion

Content

  • Use narrative tenses to talk about past events.
  • Use time expressions.
  • Use relative clauses.
  • Use adjectives to describe the person.

Useful Language

  • Positive adjectives: Ambitious, brilliant, brave, creative.
  • Negative adjectives: Aggressive, arrogant, egotistical, vain.
  • Useful
Read More

British History: Restoration and 18th Century (1660-1786)

The Restoration and the 18th Century (1660-1786)

  • After the Republic ruled by Oliver Cromwell and Richard Cromwell, the Restoration period began in 1660 (when England stopped being a republic), the year in which Charles II (the exiled Stuart King) was restored to the English throne.
  • England, Scotland, and Wales were united as Great Britain by the 1707 Act of Union.
  • The period was one of increasing commercial prosperity and global trade for Britain.
  • Literacy expanded to include the middle classes and
Read More

Understanding Main Ideas and Topic Sentences in Writing

Understanding Main Ideas and Topic Sentences

Main ideas and topic sentences are distinct but crucial elements in effective writing. Let’s clarify their roles:

What is a Topic Sentence?

A topic sentence typically appears at the beginning of a paragraph. It introduces the main point or argument that the paragraph will discuss. Think of it as a roadmap for the reader, indicating the direction the paragraph will take. It’s like a traffic sign, guiding readers on their journey through your text.

What is

Read More

The Stuarts: Civil War, Republic, and Restoration

Unit 5: The Stuarts (1603-1688)

Charles I and the Civil Wars

James I died in 1625 and his successor was Charles I, his son. Another event of 1637 is central to any explanation of why Charles called an English Parliament twice in 1640 (the so-called Short and Long Parliaments): the introduction of a new Scottish Prayer Book on 23 July 1637. The Scots regarded this as ecclesiastical imperialism, perceiving the royal action as an imposition of the Church of England. Charles I and Parliament could not

Read More